City lawmakers passed a bill that boosts the income eligibility threshold for SCRIE and DRIE, a program that freezes rents for tenants in rent-regulated apartments who are seniors or have disabilities.

The city is expanding eligibility for programs that freeze the rent for senior tenants and those with disabilities.

The City Council voted Thursday to approve changes to the Senior and Disability Rent Increase Exemptions (known as SCRIE and DRIE, respectively), which freeze rents for qualifying tenants who live in rent-stabilized apartments, offsetting the cost difference by giving a tax credit to their landlords.

Households earning up to $75,000 annually will now be eligible, up from a previous income cap of $50,000. Advocates say the increase is long overdue—the city last updated the programs' income threshold more than a decade ago, in 2014—and will help thousands of additional New Yorkers who are struggling to stay housed amid ever-rising rents.

"I cannot overstate the importance of the SCRIE and DRIE programs for New Yorkers living on a fixed income," State Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal, who sponsored a bill passed by the State Legislature earlier this year that raised income eligibility at the state level (the city had to opt into the change, which is what Thursday's vote did).

"These benefits not only keep people in their homes and out of our shelters, but they also allow people to live financially independent lives as they age in place," Rosenthal added.

In addition to meeting the income requirements and living in a rent regulated apartment, applicants must be 62 and older (for SCRIE), receive Federal Disability Assistance (for DRIE), and be considered "rent burdened," meaning they spend at least a third of their monthly income on rent.

"Our older adults and people with disabilities should not have to choose between paying their rent and affording other basic necessities," said Councilmember Farah Louis, who sponsored the city bill to increase the income cap to $75,000, said in a statement Thursday.

The change will take place retroactively as of July, officials said.

"For seniors and people with disabilities, the difference between qualifying for SCRIE or DRIE and being turned away can come down to a few thousand dollars in annual income, even when they're spending an enormous portion of that income on rent," Andrea Shapiro, director of programs and advocacy at Met Council on Housing, said in a statement Thursday.

"Expanding eligibility to $75,000 means we can finally tell more of these tenants that help is available," Shapiro added. "The next challenge is making sure people know they're eligible and can actually access the program."

Indeed, officials say both SCRIE and DRIE are widely underutilized. A prior city report estimated that only 42 percent of households eligible for the rent freezes were taking advantage of them in 2023, down from 56 percent in 2019.

Around 67,677 households across the five boroughs benefitted from SCRIE and DRIE in 2024, according to city data.

With even more New Yorkers now eligible, getting the word out is critical. Rosenthal, who chairs the Assembly's Committee on Housing, sponsored another bill passed earlier this year that requires landlords to notify eligible tenants about SCRIE an DRIE when signing or renewing leases, among other times.

"We must continue to expand these critical benefits to ensure that more New Yorkers are financially able to call the Big Apple home," the assemblymember said.